Draft-regulating device for smoking-pipes.



PATENTED AUG. 15. 1905 0. A. COUCH. DRAFT REGULATING- DEVICE FOR SMOKING- PIPES.

APPLICATION, FILED AUG. 11, 1904.

WTITLEEEEE} R, M. Wm.

NTTEO STATES PATENT OFFTOF.

(EHAR'LES A. OOUOH, OF l/VOROESTER, il IASSACHUESEITTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSlGNMEN'lS, TO OUBAN DlSO COMPANY, OF W OROEFJTER, lVIASSAOHUSE'FlS, A CORPORATION.

DHAFT-REGMtATlNO DEVICE FOR SIVIOMING"PIPES..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed AilgHS't 11, 1904- Sfil'lr'til NO, 220 879- To (0 1.0700721, 11']; may curl/0675a,.-

Be it known that l, CHARLES A. COUCH, of the city and county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Regulating .Devices for Smoking-Firms; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents a side view of an ordinary smoking-pipe, partly in section and showing my said improved draft-regulating device applied thereto, as hereinafter described. Fig. 2 is a plan of the pipe-bowland part of the stem, also showing a plan of said draft-regulating device; and Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the draft-regulating device.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple inexpensive device which may be ap plied to any pipe to which it is adapted for regulating the draft in smoking and producing a perfect combustion of the tobacco contained in said pipe, and thereby resulting in various advantages, which will be hereinafter described.

Said invention consists of a perforated disk adapted to fit horizontally in the bowl of the pipe, near the bottom thereof, and having a handle extending up at one side of and a little above the upper edge of said bowl of the pipe, whereby said disk may be lifted from the bowl of the pipe to remove the products of combustion from said pipe and clean the same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that others may better understand the nature and purpose of my said invention, I will now proceed to describe it more in detail.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the bowl of the pipe; B, the stem thereof; O, the air-passage through said stem, and D my improved draft-regulating device. Said device consists of the circular metal disk (t and the arm or handle 6. The diskis provided with perforations O, with the supporting-lip (fl extending downward from the edge opposite from where the handle 6 is attached to said disk, said handle extending upward in the opposite direction from the lip (l over the top edge of the bowl and preferably provided with the wood tip 0 at its upper end for the purpose of preventing the user of the pipe from burning his lingers by contact with the metal end of the handle. Said tip is not an essential feature, and I therefore reserve the right to use the same or not, as desired in practice. In addition to the supporting-lip (Z, which rests upon the bottom of the inside of the bowl when the device is applied to the pipe, the disk is preferably provided with upwardly-projecting lips to assist in holding said disk in its proper horizontal position in the bowl of the pipe. Said lips also are not an essential feature and may be employed or not, as desired.

In applying the device to the pipe the smoker takes hold of the wood tipe and places the disk in the bowl, as is indicated in Figs. land 2, with the handle on the stem side of the bowl and the disk lying horizontally in said bowl a little above the bottom thereof and about on a level with the top of the airpassage O, as is shown in Fig. 1, being held in said elevated position by the supporting lip (Z, previously described, as is also shown in said Fig. 1.

The holes 0 in disk to are made small next to the base of handle 7) and are gradually increased in size from said point to the opposite side of said disk for the following rea son: As is well known by all smokers, the draft through the pipe comes directly over and in substantially a vertical line with the inner aperture of the air-passage, and thus produces an uneven combustion of the tobacco, that coming directly overthe opening being consumed more rapidly by the combustion than that over the outer portion of the bottom of the bowl. '.l.herefore the smoker is obliged to frequently poke the tobacco into the line of draft in order to obtain the full benefit of the combustion thereof. To overcome this objection is the main purpose of my invention, which 1 do by the use of the aforesaid perforated disk and by making the holes therein of different sizes, as described. By making thesmall holes 0 so that they will come over the air-passage opening the draft is retarded and the air directed toward the outside of the bowl owing to the holes being larger at that side of the disk, which, forming a more open way for the passage of the air, naturally causes it to spread and pass down through said larger openings, and to facilitate the same the outer edge of the disk may be, notched, as shown at g, to form additional apertures for said air to pass down through at the outer side of the bowl. In practice the size of the openings are regl ulated so that an equal amount of air will be drawn down through the disk over its whole surface by the suction of the smoker in smoking, or, in other words, the air is} drawn down through the tobacco with equal l pressure over the whole horizontal area of the bowl. Therefore it is obvious that a very perfect combustion is maintained through the entire body of tobacco contained therein and every particle of it is uniformly consumed. A perfect combustion being thus maintained, no tobacco is wasted and the smoker gets the full benefit of the tobacco used.

An air-chamber it being provided at the bottom of the bowl by the use of a disk (1, any moisture which collects at said bottom of the bowl by condensation or from saliva in smoking is evaporated and the bottom of the bowl is always dry, sweet, and clean. Another advantage of having a chamber under the body of tobacco is that somewhat of a vacuum is produced therein by the suction of the smoker in smoking, and between each suction a volume of fresh air is drawn into l said chamber, which exhilarates the combustion and also serves to cool the air between the tobacco and the smokers mouth, and thus renders his smoke more agreeable. By supporting the body oftobacco' above the airpassage opening the latter is not liabl'e'to bey come clogged and a clear passage-is always maintained free from ashes or other products of combustion.

My improved device may be manufactured and sold so cheaply that it maybe thrown away when it becomes coated with nicotin, thus removing a serious objection to pipes not provided with such an air-regulating device.

1n cleaning the pipe it is simply necessary to Withdraw the disk by its handle, blow through the air-passage, and it is ready to apply another device and to be refilled for ani other smoke, or the device may be cleaned and l reused, if desired.

The advantages claimed have been fully demonstrated in practice by many smokers. The combustion is such that every particle of tobacco is consumed, the draft is easy, and the bottom of the bowl is always free from moisture, owing to the evaporating process previously described.

Having now described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A disk having perforations and a handle, the latter projecting substantially at'right angles from the edge of said disk, also having lips projecting from the edge of the disk in the same direction as the handle, said perforations being such as to permit the greatest volume of air passing through the disk at the opposite side from the handle and graduating to the least volume next to the handle, when the device is fitted in the pipe, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A disk having perforations and a handle, the latter projecting substantially at right angles from the edge of said disk, also having lips projecting from the edge of the disk in the same direction as the handle, and also having a supporting-lip projecting in the opposite direction from the edge of said disk, said perforations graduating from small holes at the side next to the handle and over the airpassage aperture when the device is fitted in the pipe, to larger openings at the opposite side of said disk, substantially as set forth.

3. A disk having perforations and a handle, the latter projecting substantially at right angles from the edge of said disk, also having lips projecting in opposite directions from the edge of the disk, and also having a suitable tip on the outer end of the handle, said perforations in the disk graduating from small holes at the side next to the handle and over the air-passage aperture when the device is fitted 1n the pipe, to larger openings at the opposite side of said disk, substantially as set 

